Flexible lowering apparatus



Nov. 8, 1932. F. PARDEE:

FLEXIBLE LOWERING APPARATUS Filed July 9. 1932 2 Sheets-Shee INVEN-roR je; ,WV/(@6055 Z B-Y (b Z ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 8, 1932 FRANKPARDEE; OFJHZLETON', PENNY-LVAN, ASSIGNOR TONTHRACITE- SEPA"v- RTOR" COMPNY, OF" IEEAZLIE'.IIOlF;I PENNSYLVANIA; Af' CORPORATION OFfPENNSYL-I VANIA p `nnuaireLn nownnmeiarrnnaxrusf Applcationfld July 9;:.19325 Serial i. N'o.. 621,602".V

`'.[lhis- .i nventfion l relates.A to improvementsin.. apparatus-for loweringfcoalf-orflike luinpma`v teriall .with l minimum amountl of; breakage. Tibeeinvention further@ aims to -providefai come pact collapsible apparatus which can-be-inV expensively i manufactured; and .yet perform itseintended function. equally as well. as morefoomplex expensive lowering apparatus` heretofore available..

The invention will be fully appa-rentfrom, the followingfspeeification 'when read in `connection. withrfthe'4 accompanying drawings' andiwillbe. defined with Eparticularity in `thev aqipendelV cla;iins.V Y

4@Inlthevdr-awings+-- 1 l Eig; ,lx isfv ai Viewf in,` longitudinal. `Verticaal sectionfillustrating; oneE einboclimentA of? the-5v inventiong- Fig. 2 is an elevation'fromrthewleft endofi Eigxgl, theflower partpofthe apparatus being hrokenaawaygx.

Y Fig. is aufiew similar-te'lig; 1,.butsho.wz the: collapsed A. starting,V position; of: thej flexiblepchute .1 Y c A .FigJAeisf a detailtop View. of theflexible; chute;l 4 'v F ig. 5 is an enlarged lVerticalfs-ection of the lower pontionxofe the; chute r. Y

a. Figi 6: isla 1 fragmentary plan. of 'the parte showniinaFigxs.. l

Referring` in detailf to the.; drawings', 10 representsa bin or lilreirecepptacle fonthe: storagebff coal-or; other lump material; En@ tending: outwardly fromthis bin, .there is aV chuteslQr. This chute-is adapted to discharge coal-1 fromithe bin aonto my improvedA flexiblelowering: chute,- indicated asa' whole at 14E My improved lowering: chute isf of` tubular form: preferably,.V thoufhih` notV necessarily, round in plan and 'isffermeclf of` flexible: mesh op 'chain-.lilie; fabric., .su ch as. indicated: at' 16.*. This chain mesh collapsible, tube or-chute,f.at its: upperf end, is secured .to af ring f 17 which may be conveniently formed: of:V angle.` iron;` 'llhisfringais-suspendedby a plurality ofrods.

l8.-from.an overhead support, suc-has an out-v wardly extending beam 20 secured to .the sup-tv porting structure forrzthebin.. or any other' convenient. fixed structure.

f At spaced intervals'alongthelength ofithe collapsible chute" or tube 14,1' preferably;y

Y pass) over.' guide sheaves carried ,by the: 6 rings-16 and also over. other sheavesf88 andV are fastenedfto aringor shackle A40 vwhich in turn iseonnected toa cable 42adaptedto be wound on a. winchor4 drum 44. drivenby a" suitable motor 46, whosecircuitand direction of rotation.. is controlledby a. suitablecontrollerY 48. V p V For controlling.A the. outflow of material f ati the lower` end of the flexible discharge shell, I'provide an'adj' u stable closure member which is adapted to coaot with the outlet opening-.34 formed in the lower part of the discharge shell; In the' embodiment' of :thev invention illustrated,y this closure memberis in the fornil of a ball 50` suspendedfrom'a cable-52 which passes overguide sbeayesfelian'd 56.V @ne-extremity offthe cable 52`is secured to va drumV 58fwliich is adaptedto lie-either manually or powersoperate'd Lso ras-to control the discharge' ofmateri'al fromtle lower'encl fof the chute lll In the normaloperation'ofthe apparatus-7 whenfnov :coal Vis flowing, the: Iflexible chute fill'. will'be collapsed, as indicatedin This'. is accomplished ofY course Iby operating..` the motor-46 so as to-windthe-'cable1-l2 ontbe providedwith a restricted gradually build up in the car or vessel.

the pile'builds up, the flexible chute will bedrum 44. At the same time, the drum 58 will be turned to a position to bring the closure member into tight engagement with the discharge opening 34 in the shell 32. With parts in the position of Fig. 3, the outlet gate 60 for the storage bin 'l0 will be opened and as the coal or other lump material fills up the iiexible mesh chute 14 the same will gradually be lowered, the rate of lowering being dedermined by the rate at which the coal flows from the storage bin l0, this being desirable so that the coal will not fall any great distance, thus preventing undue breakage. The drum 44 will be caused to turn slowly until the lower end of the discharge shell 82 reaches a point immediately above the bottom of the coal car, barge, or other carrier, into which the material is to be discharged. rllien the drum 58 will be operated in the proper direction so as to permit the weight of the coal in the chute to unseat the closure 50, thereupon the coal will slowly flow from the opening 34 in the discharge shell 32.

As the coal flows downwardly,the pile will is gradually elevate-d by causing cable 42 to be wound up on the drum 44. fn this way it will be understood that the coal can be effectively lowered with a minimum amount of breakage.

` As the cables 26 are pulled up, the successive sections of the chain mesh fabric located between adjacent encircling hoops 22 secured thereto will fold inwardly and neatly nest against the tapered or funnel-like Aportionfloi)J of the discharge shell, as indicated graphically in Figs. 3 and 5.

tiplicity of chain-like links. is producible on wire-work machines and can be economically manufactured. This enables me to produce a relatively inexpensive collapsible lowering chute which nevertheless functions very effectively and provides a structure which can be readily accomodated in a very small and compact space when collapsed. The great flexibility ofchain mesh fabric is important in apparatus of this character because it has little tendency to stick or bind as is the case with nested tubes and the like. These and other advantages of the described construction will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

While the flexible tube-like element illustrated is substantially circular in plan it is lof course apparent that tubes of other shapes such as elliptical, polygonal or other shapes in plan can be just as readily employed. l/Vhere the term tube like element is used hereinfit is intended to apply toY any flexible hollow collapsible element without limitation as to the particular shape, it being apparent that the effective shape of the tube can be varied by varying the contour in plan to which the hoops 22 are fashioned.

Various modifications and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled 1n the art without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Vhat I claim is 1. Lowering apparatus comprising a flexible fabric element adapted to confine a mass of coal or like lump material flowing from a higher to a lower elevation, means supporting the upper' end of said fabric element, means for successively collapsing separate sections of the fabric element and means for controlling the outflow of material from the lower end thereof. l

2. Lowering apparatus comprising a hollow element of flexible fabric, a shell-like V'member adapted to accommodate the latter when collapsed, means for raising andvlowering said member and means controlling the outflow of material from said member.

'3. Lowering apparatus comprising a tube-like element of flexible mesh fabric adapted to receive material at the top and discharge it at the bottom, a discharge shell at the bottom of said element adapted to accommodate the fabric when the element is collapsed and flexible suspension members supporting said shell. l

4. Lowering lapparatus comprising a tubelike elementjof flexible mesh fabric adapted to receive material aty the top and discharge it at the bottom, a discharge shell at the bottom of said element adapted to accommodate the fabric when the element is collapsedl and iiexiblesuspension members supporting said 1 shell and means controllingl the dischargeof The flexible mesh fabric is formed of a mul- Such link fabric material from said shell.

5. Lowering apparatus comprising a.

tube-like element of flexible chain mesh fabric, a top supporting member for said tubelike element a discharge shell at'the lower end thereof, flexible members supporting said shell, hoops .secured at spaced intervals to said tube-like element and carrying guideslike element of flexible mesh fabric adapted to receive material at the top and discharge it at the bottom, a discharge shell at-the bottom-of said-element having an inwardly and downwardly tapered ,portion defininga discharge opening, a movable closure member aclapted to coact with the latter, means for moving said closure member relatively to said discharge shell, and means for raising and lowering said discharge shell.

8. Lowering apparatus comprising a tube n of flexible chain mesh, flexible members ,.adaptecl to collapse the tube, means for pull ing in and paying out seid flexible members,

and means controlling the outflow of ma` terial from the tube.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK PARDEE. 

